各位

• Pinyin: gè wèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 各 = 夂 (foot) + 口 (mouth); 位 = 亻(person) + 立 (stand) — a person's position or standing

Meaning

Everyone; ladies and gentlemen; all of you. A polite form of address for a group of people.

A respectful way to address a group, commonly used in speeches, meetings, announcements, and formal greetings. It is more polite than 大家 and often appears at the beginning of an address: 各位同学 (fellow students), 各位来宾 (distinguished guests).

Examples

1. 各位同学，请安静一下。 Students, please be quiet for a moment.
2. 各位来宾，欢迎参加今天的活动。 Distinguished guests, welcome to today's event.
3. 各位请注意，火车马上就要开了。 Attention everyone, the train is about to depart.

Usage Guide

Context: speeches, meetings, announcements

Tone: respectful

Do Say

• 各位老师好！(Hello, teachers!)
• 各位朋友，谢谢你们的支持。(Friends, thank you for your support.)

Don't Say

• 各位一个人，请坐。(Don't add another measure word after 各位 — it already includes the polite measure word 位. Just say 各位请坐.)

Origin & History

Compound of 各 (each/every) and 位 (person, polite measure word). Literally 'each honoured person,' it uses the respectful measure word 位 rather than the neutral 个.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal